Human Body through the Eyes of an Iatrochemist: Robert Erskine and His Doctoral Dissertation

This article offers a brief description of the doctoral dissertation of R. Erskine, a prominent Russian physician and scientist of Scottish origin, titled “On the economy of human body” (Dissertatio medica inauguralis circa oeconomiam corporis humani). This dissertation was devoted to the functioning of different parts of human body. It is shown that, in this work, Erskine writes from the perspective of an iatrochemist and, even to a greater degree, as an iatrophysicist, equaling human organism to a mechanism. I. Newton and his Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica is shown have had influenced Erskine scientific views. It is noted that, although many Russian historians of science denied the alchemical, iatrochemical and iatrophysical stages in the development of Russian natural science, a great number of facts disprove these views.

Keywords

R. Erskine, I. Newton, iatrochemistry, iatrophysics, alchemy, principles of natural philosophy

Received

14.12.2021

Publication date

14.12.2021

Number of characters

20812

Cite

GOST	Sanatko M. Human Body through the Eyes of an Iatrochemist: Robert Erskine and His Doctoral Dissertation // Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki – 2021. – V. 42. – Issue 4 C. 749-758 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://vietmag.org/S020596060017431-6-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S020596060017431-6
MLA	Sanatko, Maria "Human Body through the Eyes of an Iatrochemist: Robert Erskine and His Doctoral Dissertation." Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 42.4 (2021):749-758. DOI: 10.31857/S020596060017431-6
APA	Sanatko M. (2021). Human Body through the Eyes of an Iatrochemist: Robert Erskine and His Doctoral Dissertation. Voprosy istorii estestvoznaniia i tekhniki 42(4), pp.749-758 DOI: 10.31857/S020596060017431-6

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